In our prior inventions, as disclosed and claimed in our United States Letters Patents—                5,433,321        5,528,811        5,662,221—a blade package is disclosed and claimed, comprising a molded-plastic closed “box”, wherein the blade is retained by a pivoted flap, and wherein the forwardly-projecting cleat on the scalpel handle is inserted downwardly and forwardly into the exposed mounting slot in the blade to removably secure the blade on the cleat as the flap is pivoted away to completely disengage the scalpel from the package.        
While these earlier patents are fully operational and satisfactory for the purposes intended, the present invention is the culmination of further developments and constitutes a substantial improvement thereon.